Very few leisure time activities rival that of spending a warm summer day at the beach. Whether the beach is at an ocean or a small lake, the feeling that comes with being outside and near water is enjoyable. Most people usually bring a large assortment of supporting items with them while at the beach such as towels, books, music players, radios, and food. All of these items must be transported from their cars, bicycles, or beach homes to the beach itself. This often dictates many repeat trips when arriving at the beach and an equal number of trips when leaving. Additionally, many people find the comfort and padding afforded by beach towels unsatisfactory, thus forcing the user to bring cots, large chaise lounges, and other large bulky items.
There have been various attempts to provide beach mats which address these problems. Examples of these attempts range from kits having mats with integral pillows and mats in combination with tote carrying bags. Examples of these devices can be seen by reference in the following U.S. patents: U.S. Pat. No. 4,546,507, issued to Weinstein, discloses a beach kit including a beach towel, an inflatable pillow, and a pillow cover which is convertible into a carrying bag.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,908,887, issued to Shaw, Jr. discloses a mat assembly having a plurality of elongated flexibly connected ribs in parallel and foldable with each other such that the mat can be rollup or rolled out flat.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,110,219, issued to Lopes, discloses a combination beach mat and tote bag made of a fabric sheet material adapted to be folded in half along a line between the side edges such that the side edges are superimposed and can be zipped up to form an open tote bag.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,163,192, issued to Watson, discloses a sun bathing mat having a removably attachable and inflatable headrest for use on a beach or while visiting a pool. The mat includes an elongated fabric piece with a top portion which is foldable over an intermediate portion and is releasably attachable in this position to form a flap for enclosing the inflatable headrest.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,199,120, issued to Holmes, discloses a portable combined lounging mat and a pillow adapted to provide both a cushioned support for a user and a form around which the lounging mat wraps for transportation. The mat has extending side flaps for enlarging the usable mat surface area when opened to which the pillow is secured. At least one (1) storage compartment is provided on the mat for use when the mat is opened and is accessible when the mat is wrapped around the pillow.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,481,767, issued to Lewis, discloses a multipurpose beach blanket having a pillow and a wraparound support carrier that defines a storage member, pockets, and a handle. U.S. Pat. No. 5,730,529, issued to Fritz et al., discloses a combination beach mat and carrying device having a pillow section and several storage sections, each closed by a closure. The mat also has securing straps for binding the mat and a carrying strap for transportation.
While these devices may achieve their purported objectives each suffers from one or more disadvantage or deficiency related to design or utilization. Particularly, none of these attempts provide for a comfortable lounge mat that can be adjusted to a position desired by the user which is also conveniently portable.